Kohli's return adds flair as India eye series win in Indore

Afghanistan will hope for an improved opening startfrom Gurbaz skipperlborahim Zadran

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If the series opener was about the much-anticipated return of Rohit Sharma, back at the helm after a 14-month hiatus, the second game against Afghanistan in Indore on Sunday will add an extra layer of excitement as India awaits the comeback of former skipper Virat Kohli.

Kohli, who had missed the first encounter at Mohali that India won by six wickets, will look to make full use of the opportunity, given that the two matches against the Afghans are the last international assignment before the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the US in June.

Rohit, meanwhile, ticked most boxes in the first match, but through no fault of his own not the one that mattered most. First, he won the toss on a freezing evening, restricted the opposition for a little over 150 - a sub-par total on a placid PCA track, and with the dew setting in towards the second innings, he had the perfect opportunity to adapt his explosive ODI form in the shortest format.

At the recently concluded ODI World Cup, Rohit had given India blazing starts, scoring at a strike rate of 135.01 in the powerplay. So all eyes were on whether the 36-year-old could translate that form to the shortest format.